Cara Brady
Morning Star Staff
Vernon secondary school vice-principal Melissa Yurkowski had an idea that students of different ages could learn more than the curriculum by working together.
She asked VSS social studies teacher Teresa Bigsby for help and they found that there was an overlap for Grades 4/5 and Grade 9 where both studied immigration to Canada. They worked with Hillview teacher Trent Doyle, an Australian who was doing an exchange term.
“There was a social responsibility component, as well as the course content,” said Bigsby. “The Grade 9 students were paired with the Grade 4/5 students and while the older ones learned leadership and mentorship, the younger ones got an understanding of what high school is like.”
Sixty students took part in the project, meeting at VSS four times and at Hillview twice, walking together between the schools. The students researched their own family histories and were interested in the stories of some students from Britain and Ireland in the class.
The project was to produce a book of information that immigrants to Canada should have. There were speakers from Vernon and District Immigrant Services Society about what they provide and the students collected items that the society could give to its clients. The students were also asked to consider what they would bring if they were coming to Canada and could bring only a few things. They created “trunks” using shoe boxes of what might be typical items.
“They learned about famous Canadian immigrants, including Donovan Bailey and Michaëlle Jean, and other past and present immigrants who made a difference to our country,” said Bigsby.
“The students also talked about how all immigrants have helped to build the country.”
All of the teachers were pleased with the outcome of the project.
“This is the kind of engagement and collaboration in learning that doesn’t happen just from a text book. The students were excited and nervous but soon worked together well. The older students were very good representatives of VSS,” said Yurkowski.
The students found family artifacts, photos and recipes, if their families had any and incorporated immigrant stories into an art plate in pottery. They also wrote letters about how they imagined an immigrant might write to family in their home country about their experiences in Canada.
“The students all said they learned a lot from each other. The older students said they found the younger ones ‘so smart.’ The students and teachers also talked about current news and how it affects immigration to Canada,” said Yurkowski.
The project finished with Breakout, which included a game interpreting clues to get into a locked box, then there was a show of the “trunks,” and lunch made from old family recipes.
“It was challenging to the students and the teachers to find this way to engage them actively in their learning. The kids were very insightful and the older ones looked out for the younger ones. I would definitely do something like this again,” said Bigsby.
Yurkowski is happy with how it all worked out.
“I think it was a good partnership. It was a lot of preparation for the teachers and some risk-taking but an effective way to teach the curriculum and help build leadership. I would like to see something like this done again, maybe in computers or English classes but it could work in a lot of areas,” said Yurkowski.
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Now back home in Australia, teacher Trent Doyle shares his thoughts on both his experience of teaching in Canada and the collaborative project he facilitated where his students worked with high school students.
My family and I had an amazing time in Canada and I really loved being a part of District 22. It was a successful year for us both personally and professionally. A true once-in a-lifetime experience. We found Canada a beautiful country with incredible people.
As for our collaborative immigration unit…
The prospect of bringing Grade 4/5s and “big scary” Grade 9s together was daunting at first. A sustained collaborative learning project like this was unprecedented. It was a risk that we can confidently claim paid dividends. It was obvious from the start that the partnership was bringing a new level of engagement and inquiry into social studies. The moment that the Grade 9s were spotted descending on our elementary school grounds was an indication of the students’ heightened stimulation: “They are coming!” was shouted. Whilst we had expectations that students would collaborate to explore content and big ideas from the social studies curriculum, we also hoped that it would provide the Grade 9 students with opportunities to develop citizenship, leadership and mentoring skills. Grade 9s prepared lessons to teach their junior buddies and the collaboration inspired further inquiry and a sense of responsibility.
The collaboration made for increased discussion and communication on Canada’s immigration history and the collaborative trunk project required the students to reproduce a historically and culturally significant trunk of an immigrant’s worldly possessions. The intermediate and high school students contributed artifacts, letters to loved ones, family heirlooms, photographs and even favourite recipes to construct a profile of an immigrant that landed at Pier 21, Halifax. Representatives from Vernon and District Immigrant Services got involved and answered some of our inquiries into how immigrants are supported in our community today. This led to our students deciding to collect goods to donate to a imminently arriving family to the area.
Each week we took turns walking the short, but terribly cold journey to each other’s schools. The opportunity for my students to experience learning at the impressive facilities at VSS was a highlight and generated much excitement.
Now that I am back in Australia, I am currently looking at ways to collaborate with our local high school to create stronger ties and smoother transitions for graduating students.
It is certainly a positive experience that has given me confidence to continue to challenge the ordinary.